Le Mans ( / l ə ˈ m ɒ̃ / ; French: [lə mɑ̃] ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the headquarters of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is part of the Pays de la Loire region.
The people who live in Le Mans are called Manceaux (male) and Mancelles (female). Since 1923, the city has hosted the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world's oldest active long-distance car race. The event is one of the most attended and prestigious motor sports events in the world.
History
First mentioned by Claudius Ptolemy, the Roman city Vindinium was the capital of the Aulerci, a smaller group within the Aedui. Le Mans is also known as Civitas Cenomanorum (City of the Cenomani) or Cenomanus. The city was taken by the Romans in 47 BC and was part of the ancient Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis. A 3rd-century amphitheater is still visible. The thermae, or public baths, were destroyed during the crisis of the third century when workers were sent to build the city's defensive walls. The ancient wall around Le Mans is one of the most complete examples of Gallo-Roman city walls that still exist.
As the French language replaced late Vulgar Latin in the area, Cenomanus changed over time to become Celmins due to a process called dissimilation. The prefix "Cel-" was thought to be similar to the French word for "this" or "that" and was later replaced by "le," meaning "the."
As the main city of Maine, Le Mans was a place of conflict in the 11th century between the counts of Anjou and the dukes of Normandy. When the Normans controlled Maine, William the Conqueror successfully invaded England and took control. In 1069, the people of Maine rebelled against the Normans and drove them out, leading to Hugh V being named count of Maine. Geoffrey V of Anjou married Matilda of England in the cathedral. Their son, Henry II Plantagenet, who later became king of England, was born in the town.
In the 13th century, Le Mans came under the control of the French king. Later, it was invaded by England during the Hundred Years' War.
During the 19th century, industrialization brought changes to Le Mans, including the development of railroads, motor vehicle production, and industries such as textiles and tobacco.
On August 8, 1908, Wilbur Wright officially demonstrated the airplane he had built with his brother Orville at the Hunaudières horse racing track near Le Mans.
Just outside Le Mans, there was once an airfield built to protect the Renault factory.
After Le Mans was freed by the U.S. 79th and 90th Infantry Divisions on August 8, 1944, engineers from the Ninth Air Force Engineering Command began building a combat airfield on land previously used by the Germans for a simple airfield. The airfield became operational on September 3 and was named "A-35." It was used by American fighter and transport units during later battles in France. The airfield was closed in November 1944.
Main sights
- Le Mans has an old town (called Cité Plantagenêt or Vieux Mans) that is well-preserved, and the Cathédrale St-Julien, which is named after St Julian of Le Mans, the city's first bishop.
- Parts of a Roman wall and Roman baths can be seen in the old town near the river. Every summer evening in July and August, these walls are lit up in a light show that shares the town's history.
- Arboretum de la Grand Prée
- Notre-Dame de la Couture, a medieval church
- Notre Dame de Sainte Croix, a neogothic church
- A part of the former Cistercian abbey de l'Epau, founded by Queen Berengaria, is preserved in large grounds by the Département de la Sarthe.
- Jardin des Plantes du Mans
- Musée de la reine Bérengère, a museum about Le Mans history located in a gothic manor house.
- Musée de Tessé, the city's fine arts museum, which displays paintings (including works by Philippe de Champaigne, Charles Le Brun, François Boucher, John Constable, Ingres, Théodore Géricault, and Camille Corot) and archaeological collections, as well as decorative arts.
- The Hôtel de Ville (City Hall)
Gallery
- A palace called Le Palais des Comtes du Maine
- Walls from the Gallo-Roman period
- An organ located in the cathedral
- A street in the old part of the town
- A manhole cover showing the city's coat-of-arms
- A statue of Berengaria of Navarre in the chapter house of Épau Abbey
- The Hôtel de Ville, which is the City Hall
Climate
Le Mans has a moderate climate influenced by air from the Atlantic Ocean. Summers are warm and sometimes hot, while winters are mild and often cloudy. Rainfall is about the same amount each season and is not too heavy or light throughout the year.
Demographics
In 2022, the metropolitan area of Le Mans had a total of 370,280 people living in it. Out of these, 145,182 people lived in the city itself, which is called the commune. In 1855, the city of Le Mans merged with four nearby communes. The population numbers shown in the table and graph for years before 1851 refer to the city's borders as they existed before 1855.
Transportation
The Gare du Mans is the main train station in Le Mans. A high-speed TGV train takes about 1 hour to travel from Le Mans to Paris. TGV trains also connect Le Mans to other cities, including Lille, Marseille, Nantes, Rennes, and Brest. The Gare du Mans is also a central point for regional train services. In 2007, Le Mans started a light rail system called the Le Mans tramway (French: Tramway du Mans).
The Le Mans Airfield, known in French as Aéroport Le Mans-Arnage (LME LFRM), is located in the Arnage community to the south of the city. It serves as a regional airport. Before 1971, the airport was called Aérodrome des Raineries.
Sport
The first French Grand Prix was held in 1906 on a 64-mile (103 km) Circuit de la Sarthe, located near Le Mans.
After the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car endurance race began in 1923, Le Mans became famous for its link to motorsports. The original Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans used public roads to the south of the city, leading to Mulsanne. Some of these roads were later replaced with permanent track sections. The Bugatti Circuit, named after Ettore Bugatti, the founder of a car company, is a shorter permanent track with no public roads. It is used for racing all year and often hosts the French motorcycle Grand Prix.
The "Le Mans start" was used in the 24-hour race until 1969. Drivers lined up across the track from their cars, ran to their vehicles, jumped in, started the engines, and began the race. Safety belts made this practice impossible. Now, drivers must be securely fastened by mechanics before the race starts.
The 1955 Le Mans disaster was a major accident during the race that resulted in 84 spectator deaths.
Le Mans is home to Le Mans Sarthe Basket, a basketball team that won the LNB Pro A, France’s top professional basketball league, in 2006. The team plays its home games at the Antarès arena, which hosted the FIBA EuroBasket 1999 tournament.
- Le Mans FC
- Circuit de la Sarthe (cycling)
Notable people
Le Mans was the birthplace of:
- Elijah ben Menahem Ha-Zaken, born in 980
- Henry II of England, born in 1133
- Geoffroy V d'Anjou, born in 1113
- Geoffrey de Goreham or Gorron, became Abbot of St Albans in Hertfordshire, UK in 1119
- John II of France, born in 1319
- Dom Louis Le Pelletier, born in 1663, expert in the Breton language
- Gilles-François de Beauvais, born on July 7, 1693, Jesuit writer and preacher
- Jean-Marie-Joseph Coutelle (1748–1835), engineer, scientist, and pioneer of ballooning
- Basil Moreau, born in 1799, priest of Le Mans, founded the Congregation of Holy Cross, recognized as holy in Le Mans in 2007
- Léon Bollée, born in 1870, car manufacturer and inventor
- Henri Fournier, born in 1871, racing driver
- Christine and Lea Papin, whose murder in 1933 inspired Jean Genêt’s The Maids
- Jean Françaix, born in 1912, composer
- Jean Lucas, born in 1917, racing driver
- Anny-Charlotte Verney, born in 1943, racing driver
- François Migault, born in 1944, racing driver
- Jean Rondeau, born in 1946, racing driver and constructor
- Gérard Tremblay, born in 1950, racing driver
- Jean-Yves Empereur, born in 1952, archeologist
- Bertrand Lançon, born in 1952, Roman history scholar
- François Fillon, born in 1954, former Prime Minister of France
- Yves Jumeau, born in 1955, visual artist
- François Vallejo, born in 1960, novelist
- Sylvie Tolmont, born in 1962, politician
- Lionel Robert, born in 1962, racing driver
- Sabine Toutain, born in 1966, violist
- Doan Bui, born in the 1970s, journalist
- Amaelle Landais-Israël, born in 1977, climatologist
- Emmanuel Moire, born in 1979, French singer
- Sébastien Bourdais, born in 1979, race car driver
- Julien Canal, born in 1982, race car driver
- Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, born in 1985, professional tennis player
- Guillaume Loriot, born in 1986, footballer
- Leslie, born on February 4, 1985, French singer
- Louis Rossi, born in 1989, Grand Prix motorcycle racer
- Emma Mackey, born in 1996, French-British actress
Notable residents include:
- Gilles Villeneuve, lived in Le Mans for a short time in 1973
- Gérard Genette, literary theorist, lived and taught in Le Mans from 1956 to 1963
- Jacques Derrida, philosopher, lived and taught in Le Mans from 1959 to 1960
- David Jason, English actor, lived in Le Mans between 1965–1968 and 1999–2001
- Andy Wallace, born in 1961, racecar driver
- Liborius of Le Mans (c. 348–397), bishop of Le Mans
- André d'Arbelles (1767–1825), journalist and historian
- Lawrence Aubrey Wallace (1857–1942), British Colonial Administrator
- Gojko Nikoliš (1911–1995), Yugoslavian physician, historian, and general
Landmarks
The Le Mans-Mayet transmitter is located in Mayet near Le Mans. It stands 342 meters tall and is one of the tallest radio towers in France.
Representation in popular culture
- Le Mans has appeared in many movies that show its famous race.
- Le Mans has been a location in parts of the 2020 novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, by V.E. Schwab.